NEW YORK — Bartolo Colón wanted to say goodbye to the major leagues with the New York Mets and, of course, his home run was going to be celebrated.
Four months past his 50th birthday and five years removed from his last big league pitch, Colón was honored by the Mets on Sunday when he announced his retirement after 21 big league seasons. «My first home was Cleveland,» Colón said through an interpreter during a pregame news conference, «But now I'm here with the Mets and I feel really comfortable here.» Colón went 247-188 with a 4.12 ERA and 2,535 strikeouts in 3,461⅔ innings.
A four-time All-Star, he started his big league career with Cleveland in 1997 and won the 2005 AL Cy Young Award with the Los Angeles Angels.
He pitched for 11 big league teams but is repeatedly reminded of his batting feat. On May 7, 2006, Colón homered off the San Diego Padres' James Shields, becoming at 42 years, 349 days the oldest player to his hit first major league homer. «The only thing I could think about when I was running the bases was those bases were getting further and further away,» Colón said.